TESOL English Language Proficiency

Standards

The Problem

• Today’s teachers face many obstacles that include understanding the complex nature of language, trying to meet the diverse needs of learners, and charting student progress in meeting accountability criteria required of the school

The Solution

How can TESOl help teachers?

• TESOL provides teachers with an understanding of how language and content interact within school context.

• The TESOL functions as a guide for teachers with the means to support students achievement.

Supporting Details

• To facilitate the academic success of ELL students educators must capitalize on the cultural as well as the academic knowledge and skills that the students bring from their native lands.

• By connecting the academic material wit students’ background knowledge and skills, educators can bridge the gap to students’ second language development

Supporting Details

How can educators achieve this?

By being aware of:

• Language registers

• Social Language

• Academic Language

• Language Functions

Language Registers

• Language registers are the different varieties of language used depending on the setting, the relationship between the individuals involved in the community, and the purpose of the interaction

• For example a student may speak to a teacher in a more formal style of communication, but when the student is conversing with friends they will use an entirely different style of speech

Social Language

• Social language includes the everyday and instructional registers used in face-to-face interactions within the school setting

• This language is mostly heard in the hallways, during P.E., ad outside of the classroom

• It is also needed in the classroom

Academic Language

• Academic language, also known as content-specific language, is the language necessary for success in school.

• This language is used in the classroom environment during instructions and assessments

• Teachers can support academic language through vocabulary, grammar, and discourse

Language Functions

• Language functions are an important component of the language of school.

• It refers to how language is used in the communication of a message

• Much of what is said in the classroom is for a purpose, such as a greeting, congratulating, requesting permission to speak, requesting help or responding to a question

The 5 Principles

• Research and practice have influenced the development of TESOL

• These principles serve as the foundation for the ELP standards to represent the role of language proficiency

5 Principles• Principle 1: Language proficiency is an outgrowth of

cumulative experiences both inside and outside of school

• Principle 2: Language proficiency can reflect complex thinking when linguistic complexity is reduced and support is present

• Principle 3: Both social ad academic language proficiencies are necessary for school success

• Principle 4: Academic language proficiency works in tandem with academic achievement

• Principle 5: Academic language proficiency is developed through sustained content-based language instruction

• With a solid conceptual base in their native language, students can more readily recognize comprehend, and apply new vocabulary and language patterns in a second language